Alphabet books are a tricky genre. “Who is the audience?” is a prime question. ABC3D crosses borders well from country to country—there’s no text, and younger to older viewers (even adults) will enjoy it—and the construction and concept beg for additional viewings. The artistry is in the simplicity: red, black, or white three-dimensional letters appear or disap pear when pages open. One particular flaw—all the letters are uppercase except for two: i and j. In order to spread across the verso and recto, these two letters share the large dot that pops up from the gutter. This won’t teach the alphabet but may inspire creativity . lmp

Originally published by Jeunesse Albin Michel France, in 2008.